Never Too Late
by Avalene
Summary: His father's in Azkaban, his mother's dead, his baby sister's the only one he has left. Draco has to get help. HPDM slash. Future plot.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer -_ I don't own Harry Potter_... this is an AU, it will contain slash, and I will update as often as I can.

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PART ONE

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Draco, shivering from more than cold, held his infant sister Andromeda closer to him. He watched her closely, and gave a sigh of relief seeing her little chest rise and fall as she breathed. The tiny girl was eeriely silent, and her lips were blue, a fact that scared him beyond belief. His were probably too; it was so cold, and he dared not get closer to the blaze. They had to leave, find someplace warm, someplace safe.

He stared a the rubble of Malfoy Manor one last time, searched for a sign that his mother had escaped. Finding none, Draco fought back a sob. He couldn't break down, Ana was counting on him.

Holding her tightly in one arm, Draco mounted his old Nimbus 2001. The one his father had given him... _father_. The man was in Azkaban and would remain there the rest of his life - he couldn't help himself let alone his children. He didn't even know Andromeda existed, Narcissa hadn't realized until long after he'd been caught.

For a while, still dazed by the horror of his mother's death, the blond wizard flew aimlessly. Then, without really thinking, he turned towards London. Towards Diagon Alley.

He was slightly confused when he ended up standing at the entrance to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, leaning on his broomstick. It seemed to be closed for the night. "Damn," Draco muttered quietly, glanced at his sister's pale face, and began knocking loudly.

A female voice asked, from the other side of the door, moments later, "Can't you tell we're closed?" She sounded more than slightly annoyed.

"I can't see how that matters, since I want to talk to the Weasleys not buy their merchandise," Draco snapped in reply, irritably.

"Verity, who's at the door?" he heard the twins ask their employee simultaneously.

"I don't know," the young woman exclaimed. "It's night, I'm not letting him in!"

"Fine, don't let me in," Draco said, trying hard to hid the panic in his voice. "But take my sister!"

The door swung open, and one of the Weasley twins stood in the entrance. "Malfoy," he spat, and slammed the door. On Draco's foot, since he'd expected a reaction like that. The Weasleys were a Light family, and Malfoys had always been Dark...

"Take my sister," he told the older boy softly, handing the tiny bundle to him. The red-haired boy stared down at the baby, pale face staring up at him, blue lips trembling.

"Oh gods..." he whispered. "George, g-get Mum!" Fred returned his gaze to Malfoy, only to find the blond boy was gone. "Bloody hell."

"Mum!" George yelled, stumbling out of the sooty fireplace in his haste. He was face was deathly pale andn his freckles stood out sharply in contrast. The Weasleys were staying in Grimmauld Place with Harry, helping him with his research on Horcruxes and giving him lessons on fighting Dark Magic. "MUM!"

"George? Where's your brother, hun?" Molly Weasley asked, worried at the frantic expression on her son's face.

"He's at the shop, Mum, we need your help. Malfoy just left his baby sister with us and ran off crying!"

"Oh... my," Molly replied, speechless. Then she shook her head to help clear her mind. "I take it you want me to take care of the baby?" she sighed when her son nodded. She was suddenly hit with the image of a tearful blond boy shoving a tiny baby into her son's arms and running away into the darkness. "Very well."

"What about Malfoy?" someone asked from the stairs. Harry was leaning against the railing, standing on the last step. The expression on his face was unreadable.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "You were so quiet... what about him?"

"Why else would Draco Malfoy leave his sister with a Weasley, unless he wanted her safely away from Voldemort...? He's switched sides, or he wants to." Harry remembered the night Dumbledore died very clearly - Malfoy had nearly been turned to the light. He couldn't forget it. No one seemed to care whether or not he was coerced into it, they hated him ... it sickened Harry. "The only reason he became a Deatheater was because

Voldemort threatened his mother. So if he even considered switching sides, she must be dead. He's in danger. He's on our side. He has no one to turn to. And you just say 'What about him?'!"

Mrs. Weasley had the grace to look ashamed. George looked more than slightly shocked about the outburst, but nodded after a few moments. "Fine, then you can look for the git," he told Harry with a shrug. After his mother flooed to the shop, he added, "I'm coming with you of course, in case you run into trouble."

Harry gave the red-head a smile, stepped into the fireplace, and clearly said, "Weasley Wizard Wheezes." He spun around sickeningly and fell out of the fireplace on the other end. Standing up quickly, he saw Mrs. Weasley taking a small bundle from a very upset Fred. At the same time, he heard George emerge from the fireplace behind him.

"She's so sweet," Molly whispered in an awed voice, falling instantly in love with the baby at first sight. She shooed the boys away, took Verity under her command, and ordered the frazzled lass to gather blankets and other things the baby would need. After casting a warming spell and a cleansing spell, she asked her sons, "What was the little darling's name?"

Fred and George looked at each other, and shrugged.

"Whatever her name is, she's fine now?" Harry asked, looking at the tiny baby girl. She looked like Malfoy with his silvery gray eyes and white blond hair. However, her tiny face had a cute impish look completely unlike her brother's. Molly smiled, and Harry took that as a yes. "Then I'll go fetch her brother. And shouldn't someone get Tonks? She's their only family that isn't evil, insane, or in Azkaban that I know of." Without waiting for an answer, he left.

Huddled in the darkness of a narrow alley off the main street, Draco tried to make himself small as possible. To silence his chattering teeth, his shuddering breaths. He'd done what he'd promised, Andromeda was safe, Mum would be happy. A single tear trickled down his cheek and froze halfway down. She was dead, and it was all his fault. He should have made her take Ana, he should have tried to hold Voldemort off while they fled.

... helpless grief, black despair, and utter self-loathing overcame him. He didn't notice the Dementor floating closer and closer, and nor would he have cared if he did, so wrapped up in anguish he was. It was feeding off of him, there were others beyond it, and one was sneaking in close for a kiss. 

"Expecto Patronum! _EXPECTO PATRONUM_!" he looked up tiredly when he heard someone yelling, and his eyes widened at the dark things surrounding him, at the bright creature of light protecting him... the anguish of his mind faded to a tolerable level. He barely registered, as he fainted, arms catching him and holding him, while still fighting off Dementors and Deatheaters as they were surrounded.

After fighting through several more Dementors and the three remaining Deatheaters, Harry and George were free - George had done most of the work on the way out, as Harry had his hands full with Malfoy. Surprisingly the way back to the shop was free from mishap.

When they ran into the shop, locked it up, and burst into the back rooms, Molly Weasley hushed them, "She's sleeping!" she whispered fiercely at them, but her eyes softened when she saw their weary faces and Malfoy's unconscious, near-lifeless body. She conjured a small bed for the boy right next to his sister's cradle. "What happened?" she asked softly.

Harry was slightly confused from her change in respect to Malfoy, from uncaring witch to mother-hen. He gently dumped the blond onto the bed, and sat down next to him. The amount of magic he'd used up... left him exhausted physically and mentally.

"Potter saved Malfoy from a Dementor's loving kiss," George told his mother, voice thick with cheerful sarcasm. His mother paled, and immediately began a health scan on the blond. Nothing major was wrong with him, but she healed everything down to the smallest scrape, finishing with a warming spell. Still the boy shivered, trapped in his own personal darkness.

There was a long uneasy silence that wasn't broken until the baby began crying. Mrs. Weasley went to pick her up, but Draco beat her to it. He rose sleepily, and picked his sister up out of the crib. "Shh, Ana, s'okay," he murmured, and lay back down holding her next to him. She stopped crying, cuddled close to her big brother.

Everyone gaped at him, assuming he'd fallen back asleep. Fred mouthed at George, _Did you see that?_ George nodded numbly. Malfoy acting like a loving brother. What was the world coming to?

Several moments later, Draco moved again, gave the people watching him a look of confusion, and asked irritably, "What the bloody hell are you people staring at?"

As no one else was going to answer that, Harry shrugged, and said, "I, for one, was slightly surprised that you woke up already. Having frozen half to death and then nearly..." he shrugged, not feeling like going into detail about Draco's near-death experience and the timely rescue by one Harry Potter, "but I can't speak for the others. If tonight was any example, you're not going to be safe even here." Harry gave the twins an apologetic look, but they just shrugged it off. He was Harry, after all, he knew what he was talking about when it came to that kind of thing. "So I was figuring when you woke up, we'd bring you to the House."

"The House? What are you talking about and why did you use that weird inflection as if house had to be capitalized?" Draco asked, annoyed because he had the feeling that something was being hidden from him.

"Harry are you sure that's a good idea?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Meaning,

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought it wasn't, would I?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes, replying to the spoken and unspoken questions. "In any case, since he's up, we might as well go now."

"But the baby, she can't go by floo powder!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed at the dark-haired boy for his lack of judgment.

"Then you can bloody well Apparate there with her," Harry snapped, and the motherly witch stopped nagging him the moment she saw the look in his eyes. He was mentally, magically, and physically exhausted and if he didn't rest soon either his temper would explode or he'd faint. Or both.

"She's not Apparating anywhere with Andromeda!" Draco held the little girl protectively, glowering at the witch.

"Shut up, Malfoy, she is, if you want her safe," Harry said as dragged the blond witch out of bed, careful not to upset the sleeping baby. Draco snarled at him, and handed his sister to Molly. The already small boy seemed to deflate after Mrs. Weasley Disapparated holding his sister. He glared at Harry, who smiled and motioned for him to take some floo powder.

"Where?" Draco asked, before throwing the powder into the fireplace.

"Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place," Harry whispered told him. Telling himself that it wasn't a mistake as he followed the blond wizard back to the most noble and ancient House of Black...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer -_ I don't own Harry Potter_... this is an AU, it will contain slash, and I will update as often as I can.

About Grimmauld. It's a mix of what we know from Rowling's books and my own imagination. I'm guessing that the house is bigger on the inside than on the outside... and in this version there are five floors, not including the basement or attic. Each floor, other than the ground floor, has at least four bedrooms and a bathroom.

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PART TWO

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"So this is where you've been living, Potter? What a dump... " Upon reaching Grimmauld Place, that was the first thing Harry heard. He gritted his teeth, and stalked towards the door, opening it just as Mrs. Weasley reached for the door knob. He held it for her silently, glaring at the blond wizard all the while, as Molly carried the sleeping baby inside. "Yeah, Malfoy. Welcome to the House of Black."

"The House of Black?" Draco looked around suspiciously, then laughed. "This is the House of Black? Pathetic, that is, really. The 'Noble and Most Ancient House of Black'... what a joke."

"Yeah... it was in really bad shape before the Or-" Mrs. Weasley elbowed him and gave him a Look, so he said something else, "before Sirius moved back in and fixed the place, cleaning and whatnot."

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Sirius, as in Sirius Black?" Then he shrugged, after remembering hearing about the Azkaban escapee was Potter's godfather. But still, picturing Sirius Black housecleaning was difficult.

"Where is she going to sleep for the night?" Molly asked Harry, while handing Andromeda to Draco. The blond boy was rather creeped out that he was going to be sleeping in the house, his room was going to awful, he just knew that Potter would give him the worst room...

"Ah," Harry thought about it, then decided, "The yellow bedroom, I guess." He glanced at Malfoy, and added, "It's connected to the green bedroom, which I figured you could stay in." He walked over to the stairs, and up, without looking back to see if he was being followed. At the fourth floor, he stopped, and went to open a nondescript door. Harry briefly wondered why Malfoy looked so dismayed before he realized his mistake. "Er... sorry. Wrong room," he muttered and slammed the door shut again. His room was such a mess... no wonder why the blond git had looked so horrified. He fought his embarrassment and moved on.

As Draco followed Potter down the hall, he wondered whose room that was. Despite the mess (_seriously, who could live in that_?), the room was rather nice, and done in pleasent colors - silver and black. Not surprising in a house that belonged to the Black family, but that room looked lived in. Who presently living in the house would want to live in such a dark room? That last thought triggered another - was it just him, Andromeda, and Potter, or was there more? _Oh please don't let the Weasleys be living here..._ _that would be too much._ He followed the dark-haired boy into a different room, and wrinkled his nose.

It was the 'Yellow Room', clearly. The walls were a very bright yellow, and the furniture matched though they were a 'cooler' shade of yellow. Draco nearly jumped out of his skin when Harry muttered, "_Scourgify_." He hadn't even noticed him reach for his wand. He watched almost expressionlessly as the 'golden boy' transfigured all the furniture (which was fit for an adult witch extremely fond of the color yellow) into something fit for a cute baby girl. _Lace. Ew. At least it's only a bit of lace trim... but if there's any lace in MY room, he's going to swallow it._ He shrugged when Potter asked if it would be good enough for the night, and set his sister down into the newly transfigured crib - careful not to wake her.

Harry watched Draco watch Andromeda sleep for a while, until the blond yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Er, you're room.. right over there," he said, motioning vaguely towards a door connecting the yellow and green rooms.

Draco snapped out of his exhaustion-induced daze and followed Potter into the bedroom sleepily. He didn't really notice the nice green, black, and silver interior or the fact that Potter quickly scourgified this room too. All he noticed was that the bed was soft when he collapsed on it.

Harry shook his head, pulled the blanket out from under Malfoy, and covered him up. The blond boy didn't even stir - he was already sleeping. Harry smiled and went back to the yellow room to check on the sleeping baby one more time before going to sleep. He was worried that her brother was too deeply asleep to wake if she cried... so he did a quick charm that would wake him up the moment she did. "G'night, Andromeda," he softly said to the sleeping baby, wondering why the name was familiar.

Then he remembered - Andromeda was Narcissa's sister, the one that married a Muggle and was removed from the Black family tree, Tonk's mother and Sirius' favorite cousin. Narcissa Malfoy had named her only daughter after her younger sister instead of Bellatrix. He liked the woman suddenly, because of that, maybe she wasn't as bad as she'd seemed the one time they'd met. His smile faded, knowing that she must be dead, and he looked down at Ana sadly. Her mother was dead and her father was in Azkaban. She'd never know her parents either.

He swallowed hard and left the room quickly. Down the hall, he shut his door quietly, picked his way across the messy floor, threw himself on his floor, and closed his eyes tightly. Sleep didn't come for a long time.

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It was a nightmare, he knew he was sleeping, he had to be sleeping. Draco was standing at the edge of the burning rubble of Malfoy Manor again. He couldn't find Andromeda, he had searched the place frantically, and he could hear his mother screaming though she must've died in whatever spell that destroyed the manor. It was freezing and no matter how close he got to the Flames he couldn't get warm.

He searched frantically for the source of the screaming... and froze when he found her. A burning skeleton, blackened by the fire, blond hair burning brightly, was twitching in the center of the rubble. When he saw the skeleton, it turned towards him, trying to get up. Eyes were blazing orbs of fire. "Draaaco..." his mother's voice rasped.

Draco backed away, and fell down. "Mother," he cried softly, not knowing what to do. She was dead, she had to be. How could she still be alive, like that? He sobbed, unable to look away from the flaming corpse.

"Help...me... Draco...help meeee." The flames from her eyes were going to swallow him, he wanted to help her but was so scared...

Draco woke up, someone was shaking him gently with one hand. His heart was pounding. Draco was drenched with sweat, but he was freezing cold. He couldn't stop the tears streaming down his face, even when he saw Potter standing over him. It registered that Harry was holding Andromeda, so he reached for her. Potter gave her to him immediately, looking worriedly at the shaking pale boy cradling his sister and crying. "Lemme 'lone," Draco mumbled, not wanting anyone to see him like this. He wiped his still-streaming eyes on his sleeve, and glared at his long-time rival. And was surprised when he was encased in a pair of warm arms.

"Cry yourself out," Harry told him quietly, shifting Andromeda so her brother could lean against him.

Draco remained tense and wary for a while, but Harry just petted his hair and made soothing noises, much like Draco did when calming Andromeda from her night terrors. He broke down, face buried in Potter's shoulder. Sobs threatened to tear his slight frame apart. At the same time, Ana fell asleep, snuggled against her brother and the nice person who was taking care of them. Eventually the tears slowed down, and then stopped...

Draco wiped his wet face on Harry's shoulder, and froze. He looked up at the dark-haired wizard and whispered in a dangerous voice, "Potter."

He frowned when Harry smiled at him, and said, "I know, not a word. I won't say a thing."

The blond felt exhausted all over again, but protested when Harry mentioned him returning to sleep. "I have some dreamless sleep potions in my room, I'll get you one..."

Draco felt cold again when Potter left, and huggled his sister until she fell asleep in his arms. Still, the other boy did not return. "Damn it, Potter," he breathed

tiredly, "I'm not sleeping without that potion." He put his sister in the crib in her room, and walked down the hall. That other room they'd stopped at, it probably was Potter's room. A terrible mess, but not actually dirty, just disorganized and haphazard. Pretty confident, he swung the door open, glared at the sleeping boy on the black sofa, and wondered how to get across the room to strangle the prat for falling asleep.

After a few moments simply staring at the messy floor with distaste, he settled on picking up a book and throwing at him. "Oof, I'm up 'Mione, really," Harry muttered in his sleep.

Draco scowled, and stumbled into the room, tripping over various articles of clothing, scattered books, a shoe, a broom, and a cat, before reaching the damned 'Boy Who Lived'. He considered waking him up with a hex, but then decided against it. Might be constituted as a threat. Instead, he just grabbed him by the ear and pulled.

"ARGH," Harry yelled, falling to the floor. He stared up at Draco, In pain and complete confusion. "What the bloody hell was that for?"

"You. Forgot. My. Potion." The look in Draco's eyes could have frozen the sea. It got steadily icier as Potter continued to stare at him in confusion.

Harry gave a soft, "Oh," and got up. Draco watched with annoyance at the easy way he went across the room, without tripping over a single thing, to open a draw in his bedside table. He pulled out an unlabeled bottle, and returned with it.

Malfoy hesitated a moment then downed the whole thing. Hs eyes widened briefly before he collapsed onto the floor. Harry's sleeping potions were extremely strong because he was becoming immune to their effects... he should've warned Draco before giving it to him, but the Slytherin should really have known better than to drink a dreamless sleep potion when standing, not anywhere near his bed. Wasn't he supposed to be awesome at Potions? Harry sighed and moved Malfoy to the couch before stumbling to bed. He was too tired to carry Draco back to his room - he fell asleep moments after crawling under the blankets.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer -_ I don't own Harry Potter_... this is an AU, it will contain slash, and I will update as often as I can.

About Grimmauld. It's a mix of what we know from Rowling's books and my own imagination. I'm guessing that the house is bigger on the inside than on the outside... and in this version there are five floors, not including the basement or attic. Each floor, other than the ground floor, has at least four bedrooms and a bathroom.

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PART THREE

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Draco woke up, shivering from cold. His mind was foggy from the too-strong potion, and he realized blearily that he was laying on a couch. With no blankets. No wonder he was cold. With more difficultly than one ought to have, he stumbled towards the bed and crawled under the covers. Warmth. He smiled, and fell back asleep.

Moments later, it seemed, he jerked awake. The nightmare had returned full force. His eyes burned with unshed tears.

In that state, it took him some time to realize he was laying in bed next to Potter. Took Draco even longer to remember he'd crawled into the wizard's bed himself. He knew, what he ought to do was to slip out of the bed and room before the sleeping boy woke. He didn't care. Couldn't stand the thought of returning to his room, unable to sleep, for the remainder of the night watching his sister rest fitfully. Besides, he was comfortable.

The blond watched warily when the Potter's eyes flickered; the other boy just shifted and returned to sleep. Unfortunately, that 'shift' had him half on top of Draco.

Draco changed his mind, he had to get out as soon as he could. The thought and the _feeling _of his rival slowly snuggling up to him was unbearable. His breath caught in the back of his throat when the other boy's face settled into the crook of his neck and shoulders. Hot breath tickled his neck. He had to get away.

That was getting harder and harder to do. When Draco tried to slip off the bed, the other boy clung to him. When he tried to remove the dark-haired boy from his person, Potter somehow managed to entangle their arms and legs. Finally, he tried to pull away too hard, and green eyes blinked at him in confusion. Oh my.

Draco lay immobile in Harry's arms, desperately wondering how to get out of the increasingly uncomfortable and just plain _weird _situation, and how he had gotten into it in the first place.

Meanwhile, Harry was wondering whether or not he'd actually woken up. Because there was no way that Malfoy was actually in his bed. They lay like that, in shock, until knocking on the door released them.

"Harry!" Draco winced at the voice, as the Weasel burst into the room. Ron's grin slowly faded as he saw the boys laying entwined on Harry's bed. "Er..." his face heated up, and he backed out of the room. "I-er-breakfast is ready." He fled.

Hermione's voice could be heard, faintly. "Ron, what_ever_ is your problem?"

Harry blushed suddenly, realizing how it'd looked. Explaining the situation would be difficult, especially considering that he had no idea what had happened. He was on top of Draco, he was partially wrapped around the other boy, their legs were tangled together, and he was holding him a little too tightly. Harry loosened his death hold on the blond abruptly, but otherwise didn't move. "Erm, Draco... you're in my bed..." he said, then berated himself,_ Good job stating the obvious, idiot_.

"I hadn't noticed," Draco said dryly. Moments later he realized that Potter had called him by his first name. Had he ever done that before? Well, that wasn't exactly important, as he was laying in Potter's bed, whatever the circumstances. "I assure you, that'll change as soon as you _get off _of me."

The heat in Harry's face intensified, and he quickly extricated himself from the tangle of limbs. He stared at Malfoy, still unsure how he had ended up in his bed.

"What _are _you looking at?" Draco demanded. The stare was rather unnerving.

"You," Harry replied simply. He shook his head, got up, and walked into his bathroom.

Draco stared at the closed door silently for a moment, then took his chance to escape. Collapsed on his own bed, he looked through the open doorway into his sisters room. Still sleeping soundly.

---

When Draco finally made his way down to the kitchen, following the smell of maple syrup and cinnamon down into the basement. He paused in the doorway to the kitchen. It was a large room, taking up the entire basement, had rough hewn walls, and a fireplace, and in the center of it all was a large table with many chairs. There were a few doors, and lesser furniture, but his eyes were practically glued to the scene unfolding before him.

Severus Snape, long time spy for both sides, was slumped in his seat. Remus Lupin was tending to the man's wounds with the help and hindrance of Tonks. Harry Potter was looking murderous, but remaining calm, mainly because he had no other choice. Well, except to throw a tantrum, or attack the other wizard straight out, or both, but that was something Potter couldn't do and remain who he was.

Severus looked up suddenly and stared at Draco. He whispered, "You survived."

"Yes," Draco agreed. He looked at his godfather with more than a little concern. "And you did something stupid when Voldemort attacked Mother and I, didn't you, Sev?"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer -_ I don't own Harry Potter_... this is an AU, it will contain slash, and I will update as often as I can.

About Grimmauld. It's a mix of what we know from Rowling's books and my own imagination. I'm guessing that the house is bigger on the inside than on the outside... and in this version there are five floors, not including the basement or attic. Each floor, other than the ground floor, has at least four bedrooms and a bathroom.

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PART FOUR

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"That depends on what you consider stupid, Draco," Severus told him with a strange expression. As if he was looking at a ghost. After a few moments of intense silence and people at each other, the dark haired man sighed, and added, "You haven't called my Sev since you were four."

Draco considered this, and shrugged elegantly, "Forgive me for reverting to childish ways for a moment at seeing you half dead."

"Consider yourself forgiven."

Faintly, a tearful cry sounded from the stairway, and they heard a dull thump. Draco pivoted and ran up the stairs full speed. Moments later, he was back down, cradling his little sister. Her eyes were full of tears but none had fallen. She saw the injured wizard and smiled toothlessly. "Sevvus."

"Hello, Andromeda, child," Severus said. His strange expression had intensified. He had killed several Deatheaters, and injured the Dark Lord. Ana and Draco were alive, and safe. Albus had died for nothing. His mindless act of revenge - ruined all their plans. It was too late to return, and finish them. He'd be killed on sight.

Harry finally stood up, not looking at anyone. Ron and Hermione looked up at him, worried, but didn't say anything. He looked down at them, rolled his eyes, and opened the magicked fridge. A few moments of scavenging, he had an armload of random breakfast-y things. "Anyone want breakfast, come on. I don't think its quite healthy to eat at the same table that someone is bleeding all over." A nod to the bloody trio at the end of the table, and he went upstairs to the living room not waiting to see if anyone was following.

Hermione shook her head, having eaten already. Ron, always hungry, followed immediately. Draco hung back. He was hungry, but... he looked at his godfather. Severus was a mess.

The ex-Potions Professor intercepted his look and ordered him to go eat. And to feed his sister, while he was at it.

"Hungee," Ana added, deciding the matter.

"You'll tell me what happened?" Draco asked Severus, before turning abruptly and following Potter and Weasley up the stairs belatedly. He set Ana down once they were in the room, as she was wriggling so much that he was afraid he'd drop her anyhow.

She smiled up at him and toddled over to the low table set up.

Er... what happened to this room? Draco looked around in confusion. Wasn't it a mess of old and creepy furniture that would swallow a wizard whole if it could, last night? He looked at the huge cushiony couch that had replaced an uncomfortable-looking ragged one, the low table on which Harry was arranging the food, the strange poofy thing that looked like a squished ball, and at a large pile of mismatched pillows. There were a lot of other changes to, but he really didn't want to take them all in. They were just too odd.

"Tonks is awesome," Ron fell back onto the 'strange poofy thing that looked like a squished ball' - in other words, a slightly overfilled bean bag chair. "I don't know how she got Mom to let her redecorate the room, but I love it."

"Meh... its better than it was, at least," Harry said diplomatically. He was slightly annoyed she hadn't told him first. He would've had a few suggestions... and some things just did not go together. He had hidden the ugliest pillow under the couch, but other than that left the room alone.

"You're redecorating the house?" Draco asked, watching his sister take a slice of the apple Potter was cutting up for her.

"Is your sister allergic to peanut butter?" Harry asked, after a quick nod.

"No - why?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"Just wanted to make sure," was the reply, along with a careless shrug. He spread some peanut butter on the next apple slice. After tasting it - as suspiciously as Draco had sounded - Harry was rewarded with a toothy peanut butter smile by the little one.

Ron started choking on his frozen waffle, for no reason other than eating too fast. Harry sighed and went to hit him on the back, but Draco already had his wand out and a spell on his lips before he reached him. Ron made a face, and stopped choking. "Thanks." The thank you sounded slightly forced, but it was said.

Harry grabbed an orange and threw himself onto the pile of pillows before starting to peel it. Little Ana followed, who had somehow gotten completely covered in peanut butter while they were distracted by Ron's problem. Soon Harry was covered in peanut butter as well. It was even smeared on his glasses.

Draco tried not to smile at them. She was just so cute - and it was just odd seeing her with Potter. Especially with him smiling and playful. It was unreal. Why hadn't he been like that when they were kids? It wasn't fair... he stopped that line of thought. If he didn't, he'd get jealous of his baby sister for playing with Harry and that was just ridiculous.

Ron was watching Harry play with the baby girl, too. He was feeling slightly confused. Harry didn't really care for girls. He had made that clear, when he and Ginny had broken up, that was why. He never really said straight out that he was into guys, but it was implied. So he shouldn't have been so shocked when he saw them in bed together. Really, he shouldn't have been. But... seeing Malfoy smiling at Harry playing with little Malfoy was just strange. Unsettling. Because it made it seem more serious than messing around. If they actually had feeling for each other - even if they didn't know it - they'd be stuck with the damn ferret. Because Harry was his best mate. Fuck.

"Hehe, I never thought that peanut butter would taste good with oranges," Harry laughed - he and Ana were eating apples, oranges, and peanut butter. A strange combination for sure. Hmm. Bananas would work better than oranges. And chocolate too... and maybe strawberries and ice cream and ... maybe he'd make a smoothie soon. With all of it. Except the oranges.

"Um... Harry, you should give the kid some more breakfasty foods?" Ron said uncertainly.

"What's more breakfasty than oranges with peanut butter?" Harry joked.

"When has breakfasty become a word?" Draco put in. The other two looked at him blankly, and he felt distinctly uncomfortable.

After a moment that seemed like eternity, Ron grinned and said, "Harry likes to make up words, 'cause he's too lazy to remember real ones."

"Hah! You used it first," Harry reached over, stretching, and poked his friend with a spork.

"OW! That makes you even more lazy, using my made-up word!"

"I wanna more," Andromeda said simply, conveniently distracting him from arguing -pointlessly- with his best friend. Harry realized the orange was gone, as was the apple. He tried to get up, but Ana was now sitting on his chest. "Eh... someone get her somethin?"

Draco looked over the table of food. What was this stuff? Did Potter just grab random things out of the fridge without looking? Why, for the love of Merlin, was there a bottle of red sauce labeled 'ketchup'? He shook his head, and said, "I'm going to get her something - more - to eat. Really, Potter, do you need a caretaker?"

"You'd be the same way if you saw what I saw coming down," Harry grumbled. Ron snickered. He and Hermione had come down moments after Harry's shriek. Tonks and Remus were 'taking care of ' Severus. He hadn't seen much, since they had all recoiled in shock when Harry walked in on them, but that was all to the greater good.

Draco gave Ron a strange look. It was creepy for the Weasel to snicker. He should never EVER do it again. Ever. Then he returned to the kitchen for more food. Peanut butter and oranges. Really.

"Hey kiddo, your brothers a meanie," Ron told Ana seriously.

"Dakie good," Ana glared at him.

"Ron, stop it, don't antagonize a toddler," Harry snapped at his friend. The little girl stuck her tongue out at the red head and hid her face against Harry's shirt (incidentally wiping her face on it).

Several minutes later, when Draco came back, it was to the sight of Ron sleeping half on/ half off the beanie chair, and Harry and Ana curled up together on the pillow. Harry was sleeping, but the baby girl wasn't. She smiled sleepily at her brother. "Dakie... c'mere," she whispered. He shook his head. "C'mere," she insisted, and he gave in. He lay on the side opposite to Harry and gave her the 'sippy cup' full of chocolate milk. She held it with one hand, and curled her other little hand around his nearest hand tightly. He watched her eyes flicker shut, and her breathing slow. She was sleeping. He took her sippy and placed it on the floor nearby in case it'd spill on her while she slept. And then Draco, too, fell back asleep. Definitely did not have enough sleep last night.

"Oh my gosh, how precious," Hermione said softly. Harry and Draco were curled up around the sleeping baby, smeared with peanut butter. It was even in Harry's hair, and smeared across Malfoy's cheek. "Isn't that sweet, Tonks?"

"M'yeah. Adorable," the now silver-haired young woman replied. Remus took one look into the room and chuckled. He murmured, "I suppose Severus will be joining us? I mean, it only makes sense..."

"Severus will be sleeping where he is, because he cannot make it up the stairs," the wizard said from the kitchen. "Now be quiet, I'm Transfiguring this table into a bed."

"Oh no you don't," Tonks went down the stairs. "Molly would be furious, she likes that table. C'mon we'll help you up the stairs," she coaxed.

He gave her an aggravated glance and saw Lupin smiling him from halfway up the stairs. Severus sighed, and said, "Fine. But if I fall, you'd better heal me this time instead of getting distracted by taking my clothe-"

"Shush, there're children here," Tonks whispered too-audibly.

Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes before walking over to Ron and poking him with her foot.

"Oi, is it morning yet?"

"Get to bed," Hermione suggested. "You looked like you were uncomfortable. How could you fall asleep like that?"

"Dunno." He yawned. "Laters love." He went up the stairs. She followed him up. But she went to her own room. Of course.

Erm... yes... so, that leaves us with the two Malfoys and Harry curled up together on the pillows. Yup. Sweet and innocent and whatnot. And sticky with peanut butter.

Molly Weasley came into the room, wrinkled her nose, and removed the baby from the peanut buttery knot, and left the room the clean her up.

Harry shifted in his sleep, feeling the loss of warmth and cuddlyness that the baby had given him. And came into contact with another warmth. Mmm.

Mrs. Weasley came back, holding a much cleaner baby. She stopped at the doorway at the sight of the two boys cuddling very closely. She sighed, and brought the baby upstairs to her crib.

Something dark and horrible was there. Somewhere. Waiting for him. He huddled in the corner of his room. He was a child again. He was back at the Mansion. It was on fire.

"Mama?" Draco called in a soft scared voice. There was no answer. He trembled, but stood up. Tried not to choke on the smoke. He had to find her. Get out. "Mommy? Silence. He sniffled quietly, and tried to open the door. The handle burned. He tried to open it anyway, he had to get his mommy.

"No, Draco," a hand was on his shoulder. A small boy, skinny and looking just as lost as he was, stood behind him, with dark hair and glasses and a horrid scar.

"Mama - I need to find her," he told the boy. Lemme go."

"No, Draco. Have to get out. The fires out there."

"B-but Mommy..."

"She's already gone."

Somehow, he knew the other boy didn't mean that she already escaped the mansion. He sniffled again.

Draco wake up."

"Wha?"

"Draco, wake up, you're sleeping."

"I'm not sleeping."

"Yes you are. And you're talking in your sleep."

"But the mansion is on fire."

"No it isn't. The Mansion already burned down. Draco, just open your eyes."

"My eyes are open."

"Can I dump water on him?" a voice asked.

"No you may not."

"C'mon Harry, he's covered in peanut butter anyway," the voice pleaded.

"No, Ron."

Draco closed his eyes and opened them again. And he wasn't in his room anymore. And he was... covered in peanut butter and drool. What? He had not drooled! He wiped his mouth, and glared at Ron (who was lounging on the couch) and Harry (who was crouching next to him).

"Alright?"

"No I am not alright. And I need a bath. I smell like peanut butter."

"Meh... whatever."

"And I need clothes..."

"You can wear some of mine."

Draco gave Harry a look, then told him scathingly, "As if I would be caught dead in your clothes."

"You can transfigure 'em or something, Malfoy, just grab something out of my room and take your bath and stop whining," Harry grumbled and walked off. To where, considering there was a limited amount of space in the House, no one knew.

Ron, noticing a bit of confusion about Harry's mood-swing on Draco's part, shrugged and said, "He gets like that sometimes. With everyone. Don't take it personally. You have no idea how many times he explodes at me and Hermione. That was nothing."

Draco stared at the Weasley expressionlessly and left the room. To get Potter's baggy clothes and a towel, and to take a bath.

---

Harry sulked in the library. He wasn't quite sure why he was sulking... and didn't care. He felt miserable and didn't want anyone near him. Nothing was making any sense anymore. His wish was not granted. Soon - too soon - after he left Ron and Malfoy in the living room, Draco found him.

"Do you call these clothes?" he demanded.

He clearly hadn't bothered to transfigure them, and they were just as ridiculously baggy on him as they were on Harry. But he did look kinda cute, like a kid playing dress up in adult's clothes. Harry grinned, but admitted, "Yea, they're my cousin Dudley's hand-me-downs. Never bothered to replace 'em."

"Ugh. You mean these aren't even _yours_?" Draco asked in complete disgust. "I'm getting you new clothes when I get mine. Your clothing selection is pathetic, almost nonexistent. No wonder why you always look like a complete slob."

"Not so bad as that," Harry tried to object.

"Not so bad?" Draco mocked him. "I don't think a single piece of clothing in there fits you."

"So?"

Draco shook his head, as if to give up, then turned a critical eye on the Boy-Who-Lived. "So. You like looking like shit?"

"I don't look like shit!" Harry took a step towards Malfoy, a glint in his eyes.

Oh yes. Draco smirked. "Clearly you haven't looked in the mirror lately."

"Malfoy," Harry growled, menace exuding from his body. He had been stuck in here for the last month. His rescue the night before, the only chance to get out - only to get locked in here with this fop...

"Potter. Yes, we know each other's names. They're not insults. Just ways of acknowledging each other's presence, I believe. Which we've already done. Can't you do better than that?"

Harry lunged at Draco, which the blond boy apparently expected. Strangely enough, he didn't try to stop him. He let Harry shake him a bit, and gave the dark haired wizard an amused smile.

"Do you always resort to violence when having a hissy fit?"

"I'm not having a hissy fit," Harry hissed in Malfoy's face, in Parseltongue. Which Draco obviously didn't understand, but still... he could guess.

"Are you going to punch me? Curse me? Kill me with your glare of death?" He snickered, even though he wasn't being particularly witty. He just knew it annoyed Harry. And Harry needed to release stress.

"I'm going to ... to..." Harry shook his head, and released Draco. Draco was just being a pest. Nothing to get angry about. Just got under his skin.

"What are you going to do?" Draco asked, taking a step closer to Harry, smiling inwardly when the boy took a step back. "You hate me, don't you? Why don't you hurt me?"

"I... don't hate you," Harry gave him a confused, moving backwards as Draco advanced on him. He felt the wall behind him.

"No?" Draco asked, his face inches from Potter's neck. He felt unsure, but couldn't stop. He was going to be rejected. Didn't matter. He pressed his lips against Harry's neck and began kissing it softly. Held him gently against the wall with one hand, wrapping his other around the Harry's waist holding him close. When did he get taller than me? Draco wondered, looking up at Harry. Harry's mouth opened and closed silently. Unable to resist, Draco stretched up and covered those lips with his own. Delicious. He stared into green eyes challengingly, only to have those eyes close... he pulled away. "Harry?"

"Mmm," Harry opened his eyes, bent slightly, and kissed Draco back hesitantly.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer -_ I don't own Harry Potter_... this is an AU, it will contain slash, and I will update as often as I can.

Ana is almost two. I probably mentioned that she's a baby. Or an infant. Oops. She isn't. She is very small for her age. Much smaller than my almost-two nephew, much larger than my six-month old niece and nephew. Er. Not very specific, but I try.

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PART FIVE

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"Mmm," Harry opened his eyes, bent slightly, and kissed Draco back hesitantly.

Draco savored the kiss, almost unable to believe it was happening although he had started it. It was what he longed for - and what he thought he'd never have. But once again, he pulled away... because Harry seemed unsure yet unable to stop. If they went too far, before Harry was sure of himself, this would be the last time they kissed... or did anything else. It'd probably be the end of their unstable friendship. It would make his life almost unbearable, living here, under his protection, wanting him, being wanted, but unable to show any emotion... Draco smiled up at Harry. Well, he smirked. It wasn't an "I'm better than you and everyone else" smirk though. It was more of a "Well wasn't that fun? Much more fun than biting my head off, don't you think?" smirk.

"Draco?" Harry looked slightly worried. He, apparently, didn't understand the varied meanings of Draco's smirks. Oh well.

"Feeling better?" the blond asked, almost mischievously.

"I... yes," Harry looked at Draco, slightly confused, but he was smiling now. That was nice. Harry didn't smile a lot - he didn't have many reasons to smile.

"Good. Then you can help me?" Draco wanted to give Harry some time, but not time away from _him_.

"Why not?" Harry asked, still with a dazed smile.

Draco caught Harry by the elbow and led him out of the library.

((moments later))

"No!" Harry pouted.

"Harry, why not?" Draco asked patiently, although his patience had already worn thin and he was sorely tempted to do _something _about that pout. _Harry should not be allowed to be allowed to pout in public, _Draco decided.

"Because I don't wanta."

"Sometimes, Harry, you sound more childish than my sister. Difficult to believe, considering she has yet to turn two and you are supposed to be seventeen," Draco almost gave up.

"I'm not seventeen. I'm sixteen, still," Harry replied with a grin.

"What... Harry that isn't the point," Draco said, exasperated. "And... when is your birthday?" Seemed to realize that, since Harry wasn't seventeen yet, and he was usually the same age as Draco during the school year, that Harry's birthday was _yet to come_. This summer. Meaning really really soon!

"Er... the thirty-first," Harry told him with a shrug.

"Of this month?" Draco demanded.

"It's July, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's July. You mean to say that I have less than a month..." he shot Harry a dirty look, and didn't finish his sentence. "That's it. You're going shopping with me. We're both getting new wardrobes; I'm buying, you aren't complaining, and I get to pick them out. Since you missed my birthday, it's a combination of both our presents. And don't say I'm not getting anything out of it."

"But you aren't..."

"Yes I am. I'm getting my way." He smirked... this time Harry could translate he could tell that if Draco did not get his way, then he would be sulky for quite a while. And Draco was much better at sulky than Harry was.

Harry sighed. It wasn't much -nothing really- to keep his friend happy. Like Hermione with books or Ron with quidditch. Fred and George with pranks. He glanced at Draco, and caught him looking at him. "What? Oh, fine, we'll go shopping. But we'll be in disguise and ... and we can't be gone for long."

"Of course not. We should probably tell some people too, have backup in case there's trouble," Draco agreed, and added in his own two cents.

"Um, yea."

"And probably bring along Granger and Weasel."

"Don't call him-"

"Weasel? I'll stop when he stops calling me Ferret. Don't look at me like that, its not fair."

"Like what?"

"Like - a puppy. You're only a month - well closer to two months but that's not the point - younger than me. You shouldn't be able to pull off the puppy-eyes."

"I was making puppy-eyes? Sorry."

"You were... you still are. Stop it."

"Er... okay." Harry looked away from Draco, since that seemed the only way he'd be happy.

"Stop sulking," Draco said sulkily.

"_Draco_. Is something wrong?" Harry asked.

"No nothing is wrong," Draco denied a little too fiercely.

Harry sighed and sat down next to Draco on the old couch. Which smelled rather musty. "Why are we in the attic?" he asked, having avoided asking it since he'd been half-dragged up.

"Because I figured that if you were going to throw a hissy fit, then it should be somewhere that not everyone would be around to watch," Draco drawled. Because drawling is kinda fun sometimes and he needed to stay in practice anyhow. He received a poke in the ribs for his efforts.

"Thanks," Harry said, because his 'hissyfit' had been just that. And he wasn't all that sure why he'd thrown it.

"And I wanted to be alone with you. Granger is always going into the library, and even normal people - stop poking me - go in there quite a bit."

"Aren't you ticklish?" Harry asked, poking Draco in the ribs again.

"Um... Harry, you call that tickling?" He raised an eyebrow, looking amused.

"Yea? So what?" Harry asked. Draco didn't answer, but dove on him at once. Because Harry gave it away: he's terribly ticklish. If one considers simply being poked being tickled, one must be very ticklish. Draco's reasoning was quite right. Harry let out a shriek and fell off the couch. Draco fell too, unfortunately, and they landed in a tangled pile on the floor. Harry was blushing. It was a rather high shriek.

The loud thump when they hit the floor, plus the high pitched shriek, drew almost everyone in the house up into the attic to see what the fuss was. By the time they were all up, Harry and Draco had untangled, and were sitting on the couch again trying not to laugh. And wondering what to explain to the somewhat irritated group of Order members who had thought some serious breach of security had taken place. Would sorry be enough?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer -_ I don't own Harry Potter_... this is an AU, it will contain slash, and I will update as often as I can. Which isn't really often, at all, so I'm sorry.

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**PART SIX**

---

Footsteps raced into the attic, and soon more than half the order was there. It seemed there had been a meeting going on… Harry looked down, embarrassed. Then his eyes flashed, and he looked up. Meeting their glares with one of his own. "You had a meeting without me," he said accusingly. "Again."

Feet shuffled, and faces went from annoyed to guilty in mere moments. Draco was impressed. He carefully did not smile. Yet he wondered… what kind of meeting? He had a feeling that he had stumbled into something he probably shouldn't have. Except that he had no choice in the matter.

"Ah, Harry. You see, it was because… we thought that you might need some rest from the excitement last night," Mr. Weasley said, but he didn't look Harry in the eyes.

"Really," he surveyed the small crowd, and noticed that it was getting smaller. People were sneaking away to avoid his wrath. They were scared of him. Spectacular. He sighed, disappointed. "In that case. I'm going shopping tomorrow. You know, to relax and get some clothes and such. 'Mione, Ron, would you want to-"

"Yes, Harry, we would," Hermione said brightly, though Ron shook his head. He disliked shopping for clothes.

"In that case, if the Order feels it necessary, one of your number may come too," the dark haired boy smiled, "To keep us safe." He shrugged. "There's a Muggle shopping mall nearby, I hope. It's far too risky to go into Wizarding stores, even in disguise…" Quite a few members of the Order nodded with approval. The boy was finally showing some sense. About time.

_The Order? _Draco wondered. This might… be troublesome. If he was in the nest of the Dark Lor- in the base of Voldemort's enemies, if they found out that he was a Deatheater… What if they already knew? He wanted desperately to panic, but that wouldn't help anything.

"Oh, and Draco's coming too. He insists that my taste in clothes is dreadful," Harry added, in an offhand tone. A few people chuckled, obviously agreeing. Draco smirked.

"Oh no he is not," Moody contradicted him. "He's a Deatheater. You can't trust him not to-"

"Silencio," Harry said brightly. Oh, he'd pay for this later. Moody looked furious. "I said he's coming with me. I did not ask permission. Bye now." Harry nodded, grabbed Draco's hand, and dragged his new friend through the crowd. They were followed closely by Hermione and Ron. "Did you see his face?" Harry asked his friends, shuddering exaggeratedly. "When that wears off, I think I'm going to be dodging hexes." They didn't say anything, although Ron looked amused... he also looked worried. "Wonder what the meeting was about," Harry commented, ignoring the silence.

"Harry," Hermione broke it. "The meeting was about you. Well, mostly they were complaining about you bringing a deatheater here. They think you've been charmed or cursed or something..." she grimaced. "Why else would you suddenly be friends with your childhood rival?" she asked sarcastically. It seemed she didn't agree with the Order.

Harry looked... angry. Draco swallowed slightly. That anger used to be aimed at him. He was glad it wasn't anymore. Harry would be a dangerous opponent, now. "What do you think? Hermione? Ron?"

"I think you've been acting almost like a normal teenager, since you brought him here," Hermione stated. "Before... Harry, you were scaring me. I thought you'd snapped."

Harry smiled, reassuringly. Draco wondered. Was Harry really unbalanced? If that was so, he'd have to be careful.

"I think, although he's an annoying pest, he's doing you some good," Ron admitted. "I hate to say it, but the Ferret stays. Whether they like it or not."

Draco stared at the Weasel with shock, only to be grinned at. This wasn't normal.

"You think?" Harry asked. "What I think is that the Order doesn't need me, and they're getting in my way. A few members, yes, a few of them I'd like by my side, but I want to establish a different base, get to work destroying the rest of the horcruxes, and get this damn war over with." He sighed, sounding weary. "I hate fighting."

"It'll be over soon, mate," Ron assured his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Harry nodded. Then he grinned, "We should leave before they come after us with reasons we shouldn't."

"What about the order member you said could come with us?" Hermione asked. "And didn't you say we'd be going tomorrow?"

"That'll be me," Fred came up behind them. "No, it'll be us," George appeared in front of them. "That was great, Moody's face." "He's maaad at you."

"Nice timing," Harry said to the twins simply before leading the way out. He added, explaining, "They'll make sure that we don't go anywhere… tomorrow. They won't even realize that we went anywhere."

"Until you start wearing your new clothes," Ron pointed out.

"Er. Right. I'll just say…"

"Mailorder," Hermione supplied.

"Brilliant. Er. Why don't we do that?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Because shopping is more fun," Draco insisted. Harry sighed, and they continued to the mall, leaving the Order unaware of their departure.

---

Harry collapsed on a bench, and Ron slumped next to him. Neither boy was visible behind the bags they were holding. The twins were pretending to die dramatically, and ended up lounging on the edge of a fountain. Their bags lay on the ground next to them. Draco and Hermione had dragged them around the entire mall several times. All the Weasley boys had to do was hold bags. Harry had to try everything on. After trying each outfit on, he had to be closely inspected by Draco and Hermione. Half the time, Draco made him try the same outfit on again a size larger or smaller. And then it would go on. And on and on. It was maddening.

"Come on Harry," Draco dragged his friend off the bench. Hermione took the spot immediately. "They can watch your bags, I just saw this store and you just have to try on the…" to Harry's surprise, Draco fell speechless. They were passing a dimly lit store. It was reminiscent of Hot Topic, but different somehow… of course the teenage pureblood had no idea about Muggle fashions but he was having fun learning about them today.

"Can I help you?" a teenage girl asked, before looking at the boys. "Are you lost?" she asked, doubting they intended to buy anything.

"Not at the moment," Draco said cooly, and turned his attention from her to the store. "Harry, you have to try this on," he said suddenly, pushing a heap of dark fabric at his friend without showing it to him.

"Ah- alright," Harry said, trying to unroll the ball Draco managed to put the garment into. He didn't manage it until after he was pushed into the changing room. He slowly realized that it was mostly netting and chains, and clenched his fists. "Draco!"

"Just put it on," Draco replied impatiently. "Unless you need help?"

Harry blushed furiously, and struggled into the garment. He glanced into a mirror hanging on the wall. No way.

To his further embarrassment, Draco came into the stall and began laughing quietly. "Oh…" he giggled. "Sorry. I think that's only part of it." He vanished through the door and was back before Harry could open his mouth. Draco placed the rest of the outfit into Harry's arms, and then smirked at the half-naked boy. "You might want this."

"Get out!" After Draco left him alone for a moment to finish changing, he could hear him joking with the girl at the counter. About the little mistake. He clenched his teeth and pulled the last piece on. At least he looked decent. Before… definitely not.

He took a step out of the dressing room, and Draco walked over to do his usual inspection. Harry frowned, when he realized that his friend was doing a much more thorough 'inspection' this time. "Tell me you weren't staring at my arse," he muttered for the blonde's ears only. He only got a quiet chuckle for a response.

"Okay, I'll pay for that," the young Malfoy told the girl, handing over a credit card without much knowledge of what it was. Hermione had started to explain it, but… it wasn't really money was it?

"Alright," the girl replied, trying not to smile. The dark haired boy looked good in her store's clothes. The pale one would too… To her surprise, he asked after the other one wandered out of the store, "Is there a catalog for this place? I want to get some more, but I think he's bored with shopping…" She let herself smile. "There is. Here ya go, boy. Get yourself some, too, maybe?"

He shrugged and left. He'd forgotten what he originally wanted Harry to try on. This was better. He'd practically drooled all over him… well, in respect to his usual mannerisms. When he'd reached Harry and his friends, he noticed that Hermione was blushing, Ron snickering, and the twins sleeping. He woke them by splashing them. They had to return before they were caught or someone realized they were gone..

---

Short, I know, but I have to update all my stories before I can decide to concentrate solely on one. Review, please?


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